BLOG: Four books I need to find time for

I'm attached to my smart phone, my tablet, my laptop. I can sit in the car or in the living room and explore the whole world.

But there's a lot to be said for a physical book. The feel of the pages, the glossy photos, the fact that I can read it late at night and actually be able to fall asleep afterward because I haven't been exposed to the blue light from a screen.

There are always stacks of books waiting to be read around the house. A trip to the library means lugging home 30 pounds of new reading material, then wondering when I'll ever be able to get through it all.

And so, here are a bunch of science-type books that have come out recently that I'm searching for the time to read:

"Smarter, Faster, Better" Charles Duhrig, Random House: The New York Times reporter looks at the intersection of creativity and productivity, and he finds a bunch of people willing to talk about it. Anecdotes include a breakthrough during the screenwriting process for "Frozen," Cincinnati teachers being physically confronted with test scores, and nursing home residents acting out through small acts of rebellion. Sounds like a fun read.

The National Archives Coloring Book for Patents 2016: I'll admit, I haven't caught on with the coloring phase, although co-blogger Mel Barber is all over it. But if you enjoy that sort of thing, Popular Science recommends this picture book of weirdness. Pictures waiting to be colored include a robot amusement ride from 1958, a clockwork toy horse from 1867 and a combined lounge robe and jacket from 1934. Best of all, it's a free PDF from the National Archives, you can print out as many copies as you want for free.

Robot ride patent(Photo: National Archives)

"The Martian," Andy Weir, Crown Publishing: I admit, I haven't seen the movie either, although after the Oscars I really intended to. The book sounds darker than the movie, and of course it gets into the wonkier stuff of how to actually survive on another planet. Sweet! And according to the Huffington Post, Weir's next novel will put a city on the moon and have a female protagonist — yes!

"What If: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions," Randall Munroe, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: I have to admit, I'm a sucker for the "What If" school of books, whether it's about history or geography or science. And this one is written by someone who used to work for NASA and now has a really fun blog. How can you skip a book that answers questions such as How dangerous is it really to be in a swimming pool during a thunderstorm? and What would happen if the moon went away? Plus, it comes in short little bursts, so you can just read a little when you have a couple of minutes without trying to figure out a long plot or a huge theory. Win!